'The Daily Show' investigates San Francisco's Happy Meal toy ban

A not-so-happy meal?Photo: Jason WhittakerStarting in December 2011, McDonald’s restaurants in San Francisco won’t be able to put a toy in their Happy Meals unless the box meets nutritional guidelines for kids — i.e., contains some fruits and vegetables in addition to the fat, salt, and sugar designed to get kids hooked for life on fast food. Which is too bad because as Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi points out, these plastic little choking hazards are the most nutritious part of the meal.

The new law, pushed through by San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar, represents the triumph of the “nanny state” to many GOP-ers — and to Mandvi. While it’s pretty easy to make fun of the city’s plethora of “counterculture rebels complaining about corporate hegemony,” Mandvi also interviews Mayor (and parent) Gavin Newsom, who opposed the ban because he thinks it oversteps government’s bounds.

In addition to the Happy Meal toy ban, the fast-food chain is also facing a lawsuit from a Latino mom in Sacramento, Calif. who’s pissed about this “sophisticated, high-tech marketing scheme that’s designed to put McDonald’s between me and my daughters.” The suit asks the courts to bar McDonald’s from advertising meals with toys.